Becoming an Entrepreneur
Starting a Childbirth Education Consultants Business
These tips are ideal for those who want to open a childbirth education consultants business. This is a must-read before you open up shop.
Thinking about opening a childbirth education consultants business? We tell you what you need to know to get started.
The U.S. Childbirth Industry
As you might expect, childbirth is big business in the U.S. It's estimated that Americans spend more than $80 billion annually on childbirth healthcare, education and other services.
Greater awareness regarding the benefits of childbirth education has created a unique category of entrepreneur - the childbirth education consultant. Today's expecting mothers (and fathers) are acutely aware of the benefits associated with childbirth education and are willing to spend out-of-pocket dollars on educational opportunities that aren't covered by their health insurance provider.
In addition to creating opportunities for legitimate entrepreneurs, the size of the childbirth services sector has also driven scores of charlatans and dubious providers into the marketplace. So as a childbirth education consultant entrepreneur, it's critical to establish solid credentials before you embark on a startup launch.
Business Models for Childbirth Education Consultants
There are several ways childbirth education services are delivered in today's marketplace. The most common is through childbirth classes hosted by local hospitals or independent childbirth consultants. This business model is attractive to childbirth entrepreneurs because it allows you to capture multiple clients in a single service setting.
Individual consulting is also becoming popular at the upper end of the marketplace. Rather than participating in group classes, some soon-to-be parents prefer individual coaching. These services come at a premium and are best suited to childbirth educators who have decided to focus on a high-income target market.
Most childbirth education consultants expand the business by providing a broad range of services in addition to basic childbirth classes/training. Service offerings are exceptionally diverse, but can include educational opportunities for infant care, breastfeeding, adoptive parents and even subscriptions to 24-hour, on-call hotlines.
Establishing Your Expertise as a Childbirth Education Consultant
Your most valuable asset as a childbirth education entrepreneur is your expertise. To grow your business, it's important to continually build your expertise and establish your business as the "go-to" source for childbirth education in your market.
Solid expertise begins with certification through the International Childbirth Education Association (ICEA) and/or other recognized organizations. If you haven't obtained certification yet, it's important to do so before you start marketing your services in your area.
Writing a Business Plan for a Childbirth Education Consultants Business
Does your childbirth education consultants business have a business plan? If not, your company is lacking a critical business tool. With the right ingredients, your business plan will keep you new venture on course and help you avoid the pitfalls that plague other startup entrepreneurs.
To assist your efforts, you may want to consider enlisting the aid of a professional business plan writer.
Time and time again, the best entrepreneurs we see rely on professionally crafted plans to guide their decision making. Even so, we caution new business owners against removing themselves entirely from the business plan creation process.
As the primary stakeholder in your childbirth education consultants business, you will intentionally need to insert yourself in various stages of the plan's development.
Consider the Competition
Prior to opening a childbirth education consultants business in your area, it's a good idea to see how many competitors you have. We've provided the link below to help you find competitors in your city. After following the link, enter your city, state and zip code to get a list of childbirth education consultants businesses in your area.
It's important to be aware of what the competition is doing. Take the time to visit the competition to properly assess their strengths and weaknesses.
A Good Source of Advice
If you are seriously contemplating launching a childbirth education consultants business, be sure to learn from folks who are already in business. Local competitors are not going to give you the time of day, mind you. The last thing they want to do is help you to be a better competitor.
On the other hand, an individual who has a childbirth education consultants business in another town may be more than happy to give you a few tips, after they realize you reside far away from them and won't be stealing their local customers. Indeed, many experienced entrepreneurs enjoy offering advice to startup entrepreneurs. Our estimate is that you may have to contact many business owners to find one who is willing to share his wisdom with you.
Where does one find somebody who runs a childbirth education consultants business that lives outside of your area?
It's not that hard. Just use the handy link below and enter in a random city/state or zipcode.
Is It Easier to Buy an Existing Childbirth Education Consultants Business?
Tough decisions are what business ownership is all about. And one of the first decisions you'll have to make is whether to start a business from scratch or buy an existing childbirth education consultants business.
Time and time again, we see entrepreneurs struggle to launch a new childbirth education consultants business when they could have bought a first-rate childbirth education consultants business. When you buy an established childbirth education consultants business, you gain access to a functional business operation with a customer base and a steady revenue stream.
Entrepreneurs who are committed to a highly unique value proposition may need to pursue a startup approach. However, in today's business-for-sale marketplace, there is an abundance of childbirth education consultants businesses worth considering.
Don't Rule Out Franchising
Buying a franchise means you tap into best-practice tactics that were developed by experienced entrepreneurs who know your industry inside and out.
If your goal is to start a childbirth education consultants business, you would be wise to investigate whether buying a franchise could help you on your entrepreneurial journey.
The link below gives you access to our franchise directory so you can see if there's a franchise opportunity for you. You might even find something that points you in a completely different direction.
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